1. Field of the Invention
The embodiments of the present invention relate generally to an apparatus and method for inputting characters in a terminal, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for inputting Hindi characters (Devanagari) on a touch screen of a terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Personal terminals, i.e., small-size terminals that users carry with them, include, for example, Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), wireless communication terminals, Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3) players, Bluetooth devices, and digital cameras. The PDA will be used as an example herein.
A PDA typically has the core of a computer, i.e. a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a memory, an Operating System (OS), OS-based software programs, and peripheral devices. The PDA can perform various functions of information collection, storage, editing, and searching and has also developed into a composite device equipped with a portable phone module, for voice communications and data communications, even over the Internet.
The PDA is usually includes a touch screen such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and a touch panel mounted on the display. A user invokes an intended application by touching an icon displayed on the touch screen or enters characters by touching a touch keyboard displayed in a predetermined area of the touch screen. The user commonly touches the screen using a finger or a pointer, such as a stylus.
FIG. 1A illustrates a conventional keyboard layout for a screen touch keyboard for inputting Hindi characters in a terminal.
Referring to FIG. 1A, the touch screen includes a touch keyboard area 110 with keys for inputting characters and a display area 130 for displaying a character corresponding to a key entered through the touch keyboard area 110. For example, a keyboard layout as designed for a Personal Computer (PC) also applies to the touch keyboard area 110.
FIG. 1B illustrates a conventional 3×4 layout of a touch screen keyboard layout for inputting Hindi characters in a terminal.
Referring to FIG. 1B, 10 or more Hindi letters are mapped to each key in the 3×4 layout, for inputting Hindi characters. With the 3×4 layout, a user enters an intended character by repeatedly pressing a key corresponding to the character and thus rotating letters mapped to the key.
When using the keyboard layout of FIG. 1A, the touch keyboard of the touch screen should be scaled down due to a limited size of the touch screen. The resulting decrease in a key size on the touch keyboard, however, makes it inconvenient for the user to view and touch keys. Thus, character entry is often difficult. Additionally, the 3×4 layout of FIG. 1B also has a shortcoming in that character input speed is slow because the same key must be repeatedly pressed, possibly 20 times, to enter one Hindi letter.
Accordingly, there is still a need for a method and apparatus for facilitating Hindi character entry on a touch screen in a terminal.